Tri-City ValleyCats shortstop Trey Dawson (32) tosses the ball to second baseman Enmanuel Valdez (9) making the first out against Hudson Valley Renegades Allen Smoot (6) on a double play during a minor league baseball game Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018, in Troy, N.Y. (Hans Pennink / Special to the Times Union) less

Tri-City ValleyCats shortstop Trey Dawson (32) tosses the ball to second baseman Enmanuel Valdez (9) making the first out against Hudson Valley Renegades Allen Smoot (6) on a double play during a minor league ... more

Photo: Hans Pennink

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Tri-City ValleyCats second baseman Enmanuel Valdez (9) tags out Hudson Valley Renegades Garrett Giovannelli (4)during a minor league baseball game Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018, in Troy, N.Y. (Hans Pennink / Special to the Times Union) less

Perry, promoted to the ValleyCats a day earlier, crushed a 408-foot solo home run to right in the fifth inning of Tri-City's 6-1 victory over the Hudson Valley Renegades in front of a crowd of 4,255.

It was his third professional homer.

"Honestly, this is the first time I've played in front of fans and played at night in about two years since high school,'' Perry said. "I had such an adrenaline rush. The fans were going crazy and I just got my pitch and put a good swing on it."

Perry, a catcher, had played in the Gulf Coast League since the Astros drafted him in the fifth round out of Bassett High School in Virginia last year.

"On weekends, we play at 10 a.m.,'' Perry said. "On the weekdays, we play at 12. And there might be eight people in the stands, maybe."

He also wasn't accustomed to the fireworks the ValleyCats shot off when Perry smashed his homer off Hudson Valley reliever Jesus Ortiz.

"I didn't even hear them because I was pretty jacked up after that,'' Perry said.

Perry served as the designated hitter in his ValleyCats debut but is expected to catch in the series finale on Friday night. He was brought up to Tri-City to replace catcher Cesar Salazar, who moved up to Quad Cities.

"I'm just excited for this opportunity,'' Perry said.

Luis Encarnacion hit his team-leading seventh homer in the first inning for the ValleyCats (30-22), who won their fourth straight to maintain a two-game lead over Lowell in the New York-Penn League's Stedler Division.

"I thought Hiraldo did a good job battling with runners on,'' Bell said. "He made big pitches when he needed to. So did (Rodriguez), especially in the eighth inning, where they had bases loaded and one out."

Rodriguez got out of the jam by striking out Hudson Valley's Allen Smoot and getting Garrett Giovannelli to ground out on a nice moving throw by Tri-City shortstop Trey Dawson.

But the highlight of the night was Perry's homer, which he said was the longest he'd ever hit. He'd flown out to center in the second inning.

"It was nice for his first hit with us to be a home run, especially after getting unlucky in his first at-bat, hitting the ball close to 100 miles per hour to a good defender in center,'' Bell said.

Bell was familiar with Perry because they worked together in extended spring training in Florida.

"He's a younger guy,'' Bell said. "There's a lot of power in there, and so it was nice to see it tonight. He works harder than maybe anybody I've ever coached."

Bell was referring to Perry's efforts to improve his defense.

"He takes ownership in everything he does every single day," Bell said. "For a player who would probably be a freshman in college this current moment, it's pretty impressive, his work ethic and maturity."

Perry signed with the Astros instead of attending High Point University, where he'd already committed.

"Last year, when I got to the Gulf Coast League, the guys I played with, I could see how much better they were defensively than me,'' Perry said. "That really motivated me this offseason to work really hard. I really focused on my whole defensive game and it's paid off a lot this year."

Encarnacion has also seen his efforts bear fruit for Tri-City after he was released by the Phillies in March. His two-run homer to right came off Hudson Valley starter Joe Ryan.

"I know him and (hitting coach Jeremy) Barnes have made a lot of adjustments at the plate,'' Bell said. "His swing has developed better than it had in extended (spring training). He has a lot of power in there."